October 2026

The Full Moon in Taurus

The Full Moon on 26 October falls in Taurus, an earth sign associated with nourishment, comfort, food, land and the things that keep us steady.

That makes this a good Moon for taking stock of the practical things. Is the pantry full enough? Is the garden feeding you? Are you resting properly? Are you looking after what you already have? Our grandparents often understood wealth very simply: food in the cupboard, seed for next season, a warm bed, useful herbs near the kitchen door and people you could rely on. There is something wonderfully Taurus-like about that.

October in the Southern Hemisphere

For us in the south, October is properly spring now. The days are lengthening, gardens are moving faster and everything seems to be reaching toward the light.

This is a good month to plant something deliberately. It need not be grand. A pot of basil on the windowsill will do. Rosemary near the door will do. A packet of flower seeds scattered into a sunny patch will do. Plant it with some thought. Give it something you would like to grow alongside it: patience, courage, health, steadiness, creativity. Then every time you water the plant, remember the other thing you are tending too. Spring has always carried this kind of wisdom. New things begin before everything is certain.

October in the Northern Hemisphere

For our northern readers, October is the gathering time. Gardens are slowing down, leaves are falling and attention turns toward storing, preserving and preparing. This is the season for drying herbs, saving seeds, gathering produce, planting suitable bulbs and preparing the home for colder weather. There is a reason so much autumn folklore revolves around preservation. Before supermarkets and central heating, a well-prepared household had to think ahead.

And there is good wisdom in that still. Save what is useful. Mend what is broken. Put something aside for later. Not every good thing must be used immediately.

A Few Things Happening in the October Sky

October has quite a reflective astrological flavour this year.

Venus turns retrograde on 3 October, beginning a period traditionally associated with reconsidering relationships, values, money, pleasure and beauty. It is less a time for panic than for asking whether the things we once valued still fit who we are now.

Pluto turns direct in Aquarius on 15 October. Pluto moves slowly and is usually associated with deeper, longer-term processes of change, endings and renewal. Think compost heap rather than fireworks: transformation happening gradually beneath the surface.

The Sun enters Scorpio on 23 October, bringing us into the part of the astrological year traditionally associated with mystery, depth, ancestry, endings and regeneration.

Then Mercury turns retrograde in Scorpio on 24 October. Mercury retrograde has developed a rather frightening reputation online, but the old idea is much simpler: review, revise, reconsider, return, repair. Double-check the booking, reread the message, finish the thing you forgot about and perhaps do not assume the Wi-Fi is personally attacking you.

A Little October House Wisdom

Whichever hemisphere you live in, October is a good month to pay attention to the threshold of your home.

Sweep the front step. Wash the door. Shake out the mat. Trim back dead growth near the entrance and stand outside for a moment as though you were arriving at your own house for the first time. Thresholds have always been special places in folk tradition. They are neither quite inside nor quite outside, but the place where one world becomes another. While you are at it, check the herb cupboard too. Throw away anything stale or mouldy, label the mysterious jars and take note of what needs replacing. Ouma would approve.